TBI Case Leads to Charges for Former EMT Accused of Stealing Narcotics

KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has obtained indictments for a former Grainger County EMT accused of stealing a prescription pain reliever from an ambulance.

At the request of 4th District Attorney General James B. Dunn, TBI Special Agents began investigating Joshua Paul Valentine on September 27, 2013. Earlier that month, Valentine, an EMT assigned to the Grainger County Ambulance Authority, failed a drug test administered by his employer after the narcotic Demerol went missing from an ambulance. The Authority subsequently fired him.

On May 12th, the Grainger County Grand Jury indicted the 33-year-old Newport man on one count of Official Misconduct, one count of Prescription Fraud, and one count of Theft Under $500. This afternoon, Valentine turned himself into the Grainger County Detention Center, where he was released after posting $2,500 bond.